wow, have you guys seen Google Earth's new feature "street view"? it's crazy!! you can see pictures in 3-D taken from the road just exactly like you are standing there!!! a great way to explore Japan if you are lacking the airplane ticket money... check it out guys!!! http://earth.google.com/ (sorry if something like this has been posted already)

You can also view this feature online by clicking street view here:
http://maps.google.com/

Yeah they released it earlier this month. It's been blasted already by some famous bloggers because one guy apparently found a shot of his friend walking down the street - and you can plainly see their face. Google promised to blur out people's faces so you can't identify them, but I guess they missed that one.

I've never seen a blurred out face on Google maps heh. Although I have seen:

a) A girl flashing the Google Maps camera car
b) Someone breaking into a car
c) Someone pointing a gun at a running child

Wonderful...

haha funny ^_^ i gotta check it out more... i could see the window of my girlfriend's old dormitory that she used to live in next to Tokyo Tower cool stuff ^_^

Ya I checked it out when it was launched. Useful for planning in-city trips here in Osaka. I can see in my apartment window, but since its 2nd floor all you can see is ceiling (and glare).

Also, every pedestrian I've seen has been blurred if they are facing the camera.

On the Street View for Japan, it does an over-zealous blurring of faces. I've even see a blurred horse's face.

Street view is awesome. I just travelled back to my old neighbourhood where I lived ten years ago and walked through it, and saw the new houses, and the old veggie stand, and the place where the guys always peed behind the yakitori joint...ah good times.

As mentioned above, there is an uproar about "street view" because of Japanese feelings of privacy. The argument goes that in North America, the front yard is for public consumption and viewing. But in Japan the visual space of the yard or house and even the street in front of the house is considered private, and looking at it directly is rude and creepy. Not to mention that burglars can case a neighbourhood before going there.